\u201cYou are in their world, not in ours\u201d: How The Northman<\/em> makes the Viking Age real<\/a><\/h4>\nThe Northman<\/em> is a gripping revenge tale \u2013 but one with great deal of nuanced historical fact behind it. Ellie Cawthorne finds out more from Dr Neil Price, professor of archaeology and one of the film\u2019s historical consultants | Read more<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p><\/div>
![\""The\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/7\/2022\/04\/4179_D032_00164_RC-b2d32b5-e1649932444550.jpg?quality=45&resize=556,556"\" "\\"\"Alexander\\"")
<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section>What he wrote about more recent times probably has basis in reality, but scholars agree that the first part of his work is a collection of myths and legends rather than anything resembling history. The heroes of the tales Saxo recorded in this part include the well-known warriors Ragnar Lothbrok<\/a> (or Lodbr\u00f3k) and Lathgertha (more commonly known as Lagertha to fans of the TV series Vikings<\/em><\/a>) as well as Norse gods<\/a> and mythical creatures.<\/p>\n- Read more | A brief history of the Vikings<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
How is Amleth linked to Shakespeare and Hamlet<\/em>?<\/h2>\nSaxo devotes a great deal of space to the Amleth narrative. As in William Shakespeare<\/a>\u2019s Hamlet<\/em>, which can be traced back to this story, the young prince\u2019s father is killed by his uncle Fengi (Claudius in Hamlet<\/em>). The uncle subsequently marries his brother\u2019s widow Queen Gerutha (Gertrude in Hamlet<\/em>) while Amleth feigns madness and stays by the hearth, rolling around on the dirty floor and uttering enigmatic statements that confuse everyone.<\/p>\nWe soon learn that his act is a ruse to fool Fengi and his courtiers into a false sense of security, and that the prince is secretly plotting to avenge the death of his father.<\/p>\n
The rest of the story follows the power struggle between uncle and nephew. Fengi tries to get rid of Amleth by various means, but his nephew foils attempts on his life at every turn. Eventually Amleth\u2019s opportunity for revenge arises \u2013 he gets Fengi\u2019s courtiers drunk before slaying his uncle, burning them all inside the hall and seizing the throne.<\/p>\n
![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Hamlet\u2019s father appears to him as a ghost in Shakespeare\u2019s play. The plot is loosely drawn from Saxo Grammaticus\u2019s account of the Viking prince Amleth (Photo by Getty)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nThroughout Saxo\u2019s story, a great deal of moral judgement is levelled at Fengi \u2013 who committed fratricide because of his jealousy towards his brother \u2013 as well as those who consort with him. Amleth delivers a long, haranguing speech to the Danes for having allowed themselves to be ruled by such an inferior king. He also complains to his mother that she stooped to marrying the man who had killed her own husband.<\/p>\n
The real Northman<\/em>: the Amleth of saga tradition<\/h2>\nAmleth\u2019s method of feigning madness in Saxo\u2019s version of the story is unusual. But the tale has details and themes in common with other Norse texts. Kin-slaying, burning halls, and the young man who shamefully stays by the hearth are all found in sagas. The Icelandic G\u00edsla<\/em> saga, too, includes a scene in which the saga\u2019s hero pretends to be a fool to escape from the enemies who hound him.<\/p>\nEven more widespread in Norse storytelling is the concern that people harbour a simmering plan for revenge for long periods, even years, before acting. This can either be the designated avenger himself but often, it is the chilling figure of the mother who goads a son or male relative into violence when the time is right.<\/p>\n
In the Laxd\u00e6la<\/em> saga, it falls to a mother to remind her sons of their duty to avenge their father once they are old enough, years after his killing. Saxo chose not to develop Amleth\u2019s mother as a character and she remains silent and passive in his story. But the authors of both medieval Norse texts and The Northman<\/em> explore the role that goading women lay in the cycle of bloodshed that the obligation to exact vengeance brings about.<\/p>\n- Read more | What was life like for Viking women?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
These stories of kin-slaying, where revenge is such a central theme, reflect the Norse social structure during the Viking Age. The family was the basic social unit and there was no state or police to enforce the peace, so people were at the mercy of each other to stay alive and secure. Families formed mutual bonds through alliances and intermarriage, intended to prevent feuds. These bonds didn\u2019t always hold, however, especially when universal emotions such as greed and jealousy \u2013 which Fj\u00f6lnir is guilty of \u2013 came into play.<\/p>\n
Amleth in The Northman<\/em><\/h2>\n ![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> The Northman<\/em> sees Viking prince Amleth (Alexander Skarsg\u00e5rd) embrace the role of berserker (Photo by Aidan Monaghan \/ \u00a9 2021 Focus Features, LLC)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nThe Northman<\/em>, directed by Robert Eggers and co-written by Eggers and the Icelandic author Sj\u00f3n, is a spectacular feast for lovers of films and history alike. Filmed in sweeping locations, and featuring costumes and sets based on rigorous attention to historical accuracy, it tells the story of the legendary Viking prince Amleth.<\/p>\nIn the film, Amleth (Alexander Skarsg\u00e5rd) witnesses his uncle Fj\u00f6lnir (Claes Bang) slay his father, the Viking king Aurvandil (Ethan Hawke). He narrowly escapes and grows up to become a Viking himself, but abandons this life to exact revenge for his father and save his mother Queen Gudr\u00fan (Nicole Kidman).<\/p>\n
But Amleth discovers that his mission of vengeance is less straightforward than he thought. The film follows the obstacles he faces on his path, set against the Vikings\u2019 distinctive worldview, ways of life and rituals.<\/p>\n More Vikings on screen<\/h4>\n- Vikings: Valhalla<\/em> <\/a>| The real history behind Netflix\u2019s successor to Vikings<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n
- The Last Kingdom<\/em><\/a> | How much of the tale of Uhtred of Bebbanburg is real?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
<\/p><\/div>
![\""Leif\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/7\/2022\/02\/VAL_101_Unit_02630RC-672b1b0-e1645803355514.jpg?quality=45&resize=556,556"\" "\\"\"Leif\\"")
<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section>The Northman<\/em> picks up themes where medieval authors left off hundreds of years ago, focusing on Amleth\u2019s dogged determination to fulfil his objective and the challenges he must deal with on the way.<\/p>\nRather than Saxo\u2019s mythical-legendary world, the film is set in a recognisably 10th-century context: after his father\u2019s murder, Amleth joins a band of Viking berserkers<\/a> and goes harrying in Rus (present-day Ukraine and Russia)<\/a>. The fate of Gudr\u00fan and Fj\u00f6lnir takes a downward turn soon after Aurvandil\u2019s murder and, following an invasion by the Norwegian king Harald \u2018Fairhair\u2019, they must escape their kingdom, which is on an island north of Scotland. They end up in Iceland, where they live in reduced circumstances as farmers when Amleth tracks them down.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p><\/div>
<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section>What he wrote about more recent times probably has basis in reality, but scholars agree that the first part of his work is a collection of myths and legends rather than anything resembling history. The heroes of the tales Saxo recorded in this part include the well-known warriors Ragnar Lothbrok<\/a> (or Lodbr\u00f3k) and Lathgertha (more commonly known as Lagertha to fans of the TV series Vikings<\/em><\/a>) as well as Norse gods<\/a> and mythical creatures.<\/p>\n Saxo devotes a great deal of space to the Amleth narrative. As in William Shakespeare<\/a>\u2019s Hamlet<\/em>, which can be traced back to this story, the young prince\u2019s father is killed by his uncle Fengi (Claudius in Hamlet<\/em>). The uncle subsequently marries his brother\u2019s widow Queen Gerutha (Gertrude in Hamlet<\/em>) while Amleth feigns madness and stays by the hearth, rolling around on the dirty floor and uttering enigmatic statements that confuse everyone.<\/p>\n We soon learn that his act is a ruse to fool Fengi and his courtiers into a false sense of security, and that the prince is secretly plotting to avenge the death of his father.<\/p>\n The rest of the story follows the power struggle between uncle and nephew. Fengi tries to get rid of Amleth by various means, but his nephew foils attempts on his life at every turn. Eventually Amleth\u2019s opportunity for revenge arises \u2013 he gets Fengi\u2019s courtiers drunk before slaying his uncle, burning them all inside the hall and seizing the throne.<\/p>\n Throughout Saxo\u2019s story, a great deal of moral judgement is levelled at Fengi \u2013 who committed fratricide because of his jealousy towards his brother \u2013 as well as those who consort with him. Amleth delivers a long, haranguing speech to the Danes for having allowed themselves to be ruled by such an inferior king. He also complains to his mother that she stooped to marrying the man who had killed her own husband.<\/p>\n Amleth\u2019s method of feigning madness in Saxo\u2019s version of the story is unusual. But the tale has details and themes in common with other Norse texts. Kin-slaying, burning halls, and the young man who shamefully stays by the hearth are all found in sagas. The Icelandic G\u00edsla<\/em> saga, too, includes a scene in which the saga\u2019s hero pretends to be a fool to escape from the enemies who hound him.<\/p>\n Even more widespread in Norse storytelling is the concern that people harbour a simmering plan for revenge for long periods, even years, before acting. This can either be the designated avenger himself but often, it is the chilling figure of the mother who goads a son or male relative into violence when the time is right.<\/p>\n In the Laxd\u00e6la<\/em> saga, it falls to a mother to remind her sons of their duty to avenge their father once they are old enough, years after his killing. Saxo chose not to develop Amleth\u2019s mother as a character and she remains silent and passive in his story. But the authors of both medieval Norse texts and The Northman<\/em> explore the role that goading women lay in the cycle of bloodshed that the obligation to exact vengeance brings about.<\/p>\n These stories of kin-slaying, where revenge is such a central theme, reflect the Norse social structure during the Viking Age. The family was the basic social unit and there was no state or police to enforce the peace, so people were at the mercy of each other to stay alive and secure. Families formed mutual bonds through alliances and intermarriage, intended to prevent feuds. These bonds didn\u2019t always hold, however, especially when universal emotions such as greed and jealousy \u2013 which Fj\u00f6lnir is guilty of \u2013 came into play.<\/p>\n The Northman<\/em>, directed by Robert Eggers and co-written by Eggers and the Icelandic author Sj\u00f3n, is a spectacular feast for lovers of films and history alike. Filmed in sweeping locations, and featuring costumes and sets based on rigorous attention to historical accuracy, it tells the story of the legendary Viking prince Amleth.<\/p>\n In the film, Amleth (Alexander Skarsg\u00e5rd) witnesses his uncle Fj\u00f6lnir (Claes Bang) slay his father, the Viking king Aurvandil (Ethan Hawke). He narrowly escapes and grows up to become a Viking himself, but abandons this life to exact revenge for his father and save his mother Queen Gudr\u00fan (Nicole Kidman).<\/p>\n But Amleth discovers that his mission of vengeance is less straightforward than he thought. The film follows the obstacles he faces on his path, set against the Vikings\u2019 distinctive worldview, ways of life and rituals.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> The Northman<\/em> picks up themes where medieval authors left off hundreds of years ago, focusing on Amleth\u2019s dogged determination to fulfil his objective and the challenges he must deal with on the way.<\/p>\n Rather than Saxo\u2019s mythical-legendary world, the film is set in a recognisably 10th-century context: after his father\u2019s murder, Amleth joins a band of Viking berserkers<\/a> and goes harrying in Rus (present-day Ukraine and Russia)<\/a>. The fate of Gudr\u00fan and Fj\u00f6lnir takes a downward turn soon after Aurvandil\u2019s murder and, following an invasion by the Norwegian king Harald \u2018Fairhair\u2019, they must escape their kingdom, which is on an island north of Scotland. They end up in Iceland, where they live in reduced circumstances as farmers when Amleth tracks them down.<\/p>\nHow is Amleth linked to Shakespeare and Hamlet<\/em>?<\/h2>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/7\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-3302762-fba49c2-e1649934622965.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>The real Northman<\/em>: the Amleth of saga tradition<\/h2>\n
Amleth in The Northman<\/em><\/h2>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/7\/2022\/04\/4179_D034_00452_R-10397fa-e1649932459481.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>More Vikings on screen<\/h4>\n
<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section>